November 3, 2023

*) Israeli troops gather around Gaza City, kill several Palestinians in occupied West Bank Israeli ground troops encircled Gaza City in their invasion of Gaza, as top US diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Israel. The Israeli army announced that four more Israeli soldiers had been killed in overnight fierce fighting in Gaza with Palestinian fighters. And in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said eight Palestinians were killed in separate incidents overnight. *) EU prevention of pro-Palestine rallies shows double standard The prevention of pro-Palestinian rallies in some European Union countries constitutes a "double standard," Türkiye's foreign minister has said at a meeting organised by the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin. Minister Hakan Fidan was quoted as saying "Those who allow attacks on our Holy Book, the Quran, under the guise of freedom of expression are blocking those who want to protest the brutal killing of civilians in Palestine." He added that it “is an unacceptable double standard." *) Tunisia postpones vote on law criminalising relations with Israel Tunisia’s parliament postponed voting on a draft law that would criminalise the normalisation of relations with Israel. The decision was made during an evening session of the legislative assembly, according to Parliament Speaker Ibrahim Bouderbela. Parliament started discussions over the proposed law in August. *) MSF: Greece 'normalised' illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers Doctors Without Borders accused Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government, stating that Greece has "normalised" abusive pushbacks of asylum seekers within a broader European Union policy that disregards violence against vulnerable individuals in a statement. The organisation also said in a report that MSF teams have borne witness to how normalised pushbacks have become, and to the stark absence of protection for people who seek safety in Greece. *) Air pollution in India's New Delhi turns 'severe' People in New Delhi woke up to a thick layer of toxic haze, and